Sudan's Genocide: Mutual Fund Divestment

Dear Friends of Sudan,

This is the second in a number of messages which we will be
providing dealing with how we can put financial pressure on
foreign companies which are benefiting from the genocidal
policies of the government of Sudan.

Right now the most effective thing that we can do is to sell all
our investments in companies which do business in Sudan. Today
let's focus on mutual funds.

REMEMBER THAT the message is to the mutual fund management. We
want management to sell the specific investment from the funds
so that we do not need to sell our mutual funds. Options are
listed:

1. If you own mutual funds through a broker (American Express,
Nations Bank, Smith-Barney, Merrill Lynch, etc), call your
broker or advisor. Tell him/her to research your investments
and let you know whether any of your holdings include companies
which are doing business in Sudan (You may provide the list
which is repeated at the end). If so, you want him/her to tell
the brokerage firm that you want them to sell those companies
from your mutual funds because they are profiting from genocide
in Sudan. Tell him/her to get back to you within a week.

2. If you own mutual funds directly from a fund company (such
as Vanguard, T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, etc), write to your mutual
fund company. Tell the company that you do not want your funds
to invest in any company which is doing business with the
genocidal Government of Sudan. Tell them that you want to know
what they are doing about avoiding those companies and that you
expect a prompt answer. Again, you may provide them the list of
the especially "dirty-five" which is repeated for you in this
letter.

Our goal is to get the mutual fund managers to sell the
investments. That is the most effective result because it
drives the impact on the offending companies.

Ultimately, you will need to base your final actions on the
response of your mutual fund management. If they are
unresponsive and you are truly committed, you will need to bite
the bullet and sell the offending investments. Don't do that
until you understand the specific financial implications for you
... then let your conscience be your guide.

If you have further questions about how to go about this, please
contact me by e-mail.

In His Service,

Bill
................................................................

Here is a Partial list of Companies Involved (ticker symbols in
parenthesis) in Sudan:

1. Germany's Siemens AG (SI) presently building the world's
largest diesel-powered electrical generating plant outside
Khartoum;
2. Switzerland's Asea Brown Boveri Limited, Zurich (ABB) now
engaged in a huge project to upgrade the electrical grid for
Khartoum and the surrounding urban areas, as well as in
automation work for the major oil production consortium in Sudan
3. France's Alcatel (ALA) , a telecommunications giant, is yet
another company that offers commercial telecommunications
support that benefits Khartoum, and the immediate environs of
Khartoum; without benefiting the rest of the people.
4. China National Petroleum Corporation is the dominant and
most ruthless international player in Sudan's oil sector.
PetroChina (PTR) is wholly controlled and 90%-owned by CNPC and
lists on the New York Stock Exchange.
5. Tatneft (TNT) is a Russian oil company that is an important
participant in Sudan's oil sector.


Bill Andress
Moderator, Sudan Advocacy Action Forum
301 Ashley Oaks Court
Lexington, SC 29072
803 951 3025